trouble from all angles
by lauraamyx
Summary: PROMPT: Cal gets in trouble after taking some dodgy loans trying to pay back Ethan, and ends up in hospital. [Involves Cal/Ethans dad]
1. Chapter 1

_"Prompt: Maybe a fic where Cal gets into trouble after taking some dodgy loans trying to pay Ethan back, and he ends up in hospital - maybe Ethan could go and see him" - Anon._  
 **AN: Hello, so I saw this prompt a while ago and have finally got round to posting the first chapter, I should update every week. I hope you enjoy and feedback would be much appreciated! :)**

CHAPTER ONE 

Terrible. Guilty. Bad. Ashamed.

There were hundreds of adjectives that represented how Cal felt as he reflected back on his actions. Why, he thought to himself as he sat there in his empty flat, why was he so stupid to believe Taylor and all her lies - and more importantly why did he use Ethan's money to feed into them.  
Previously, Cal had winced when Ethan called him a thief, but in reality that was the truth. He deserved to be locked up for what he had done. But no, his kind, loving, understanding brother had insisted that no authorities were to get involved. However, despite their agreement that he would pay Ethan back in stages, it wasn't good enough for Cal. As guilt consumed him he came to the decision that he would give him the lump sum upfront, in an attempt to shake off this overwhelming feeling that paralysed him day in and day out.  
Starting up his laptop he opened the search engine and spent the next two hours filling out loan applications with banks only to no avail; each and every one had been declined. Part of Cal was relieved, he knew that getting himself into even more debt would not solve the problem, yet a larger part of him just wanted to pay back Ethan. After all, he thought to himself, it was Cal's mess and Ethan shouldn't have to be the one in debt.  
"Come on Cal, think." He spoke to aloud to himself, "there must be a way around this." But alas, he had exhausted almost every possibility. He couldn't sell his house and downsize; it was Ethan's house. He couldn't get a bank loan; he was too much of an idiot and got into too much debt previously to be granted that sum of money.  
Sighing, Cal surrendered and went into the kitchen to make a coffee. He came to the conclusion that he would leave it a few days for inspiration to strike and instead chose to finally check through the numerous e-mails that had been building up on his phone. There was nothing interesting as per; the usual spam messages and advertisements from websites that he didn't even remember signing up for. He was going through and deleting them all in a monotonous fashion when noticed a familiar name. Charles Hardy. The very name disgusted Cal, to the extent that he went through the trouble of changing his surname to disassociate himself from the man.

That man being his father.

Well, in Cal's view he shouldn't even be allowed to call himself that. No, Cal couldn't stand him, he despised him to no end and hadn't made any contact with him for many many years. Which is why he was confused as to why there was an e-mail from him. Realistically, Cal knew that he should just delete the message without reading it and not give it a seconds thought, however curiosity got the better of him and he soon found himself reading.#

 _"Dear Cal_  
 _I found your e-mail online, I hope you don't mind me messaging you. I've just heard the news of your mother's passing and I honestly cannot comprehend how much I regret not being there to see you and Ethan grow up into the brilliant men that I'm sure you are. You have to understand that I tried contacting your mother before, so I could get to know you boys, but she wouldn't let me. I tried and tried before eventually I had no choice but to give up. I would love to be able to perhaps meet up with you one day, just for a drink. I could perhaps answer any questions that I'm sure you have._  
 _Dad_  
 _Charles Hardy_  
 _Manager_  
 _Hardy and Co._  
 _Holby."_

Anger filled Cal as he read this. Who did this man think he was, taking advantage of his mother's death to try and get closer to Cal and Ethan. And he even had the audacity to call himself 'dad'. Cal was an adult and if Charles wanted to be a dad to Cal without his mother's say-so, he easily had ten years to do that.  
However, at the end of his e-mail, there was a signature. A quick google search showed that 'Hardy and Co' was in fact a rather successful business. This gave Cal a devious idea. He was sure that this man would have contacts that would enable him to get enough money to pay Ethan back, and at this point in time he was desperate to pay him back. Cal got his phone back out again and proceeded to reply to the email with a short but efficient message of 'Bay Cafe 12:30 tomorrow.'

Just then, Ethan walked into the kitchen after his shift at work, causing Cal to jump up and forcefully shove his phone into his pocket.  
"Oh hi Eth, didn't expect you to be here" He said, feeling as if he had been caught red handed despite not actually doing anything wrong.  
"Well, I do live here and my shift has finished.. what have you done, you have a suspicious look on your face" Ethan inquired, sensing something was up.  
"No no, nothing. Nothing at all, everything's great. I'm - nothing, I'm doing nothing." Cal babbled, before pushing past Ethan and going upstairs to his room to get ready for his shift. At this, Ethan was further assured that Cal was in fact up to something but he knew better than to try and get involved, it wasn't worth it, and frankly he had more important things on his mind, such as how he just wanted to go straight to bed after working for twelve hours; and so he did just that, forgetting about Cal's suspicious behaviour.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: thank-you for the lovely reviews, I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

CHAPTER TWO

The next day soon rolled around and Cal left Holby hospital at midday and, instead of heading to the pub as he usually would, he made his excuses and headed in the opposite direction towards the cafe. If he was quite honest, Cal wasn't worried at all about how the events may pan out, he just had to find a way to contain the anger at this man who hadn't been a part of his life for the last fifteen years. On the walk towards the cafe, Cal's mind wandered to a particular memory of his childhood.

 _The two brothers walked the quick way home that evening, both of them almost running down the street as they raced to be the first in front of the television. Their game of rock paper scissors to decide who had the control over the remote had led to a full blown argument, with Cal arguing that he was the eldest and therefore had the power.  
They unlocked the door and were greeted by the sound of muffled shouting. Instantly their petty argument had been forgotten and Cal knew what was happening. He turned the television on and put his younger, innocent brothers favourite programme on, and turned the volume up loud to drown out the sounds of their parents voices upstairs.  
They were interrupted by the disruptive sound of a suitcase almost falling down the stairs, and they soon saw their dad pulling the suitcase usually reserved for family holidays. Without saying a word, the man walked out of the front door, slamming the door behind him. At this point, Cal knew he wouldn't be seeing his father for a while, yet Ethan was unaware of the events.  
_" _Cal.. Where's daddy gone? Are we going on holiday!" He asked naively, his face lighting up at the thought of going on holiday,  
_ " _No nibbles.. dad's gone away for a while, we might not see him for a bit" Cal responded trying to mask the hurt in his voice.  
Ethan's lip began to stick out and wobble, "but he didn't say goodbye.. he always says goodbye before he leaves the house he does"  
The elder of the two didn't know how to respond to that comment, and their mother still hadn't come down the stairs, so instead of talking Cal wrapped his arms around the young boy, vowing there and then to look after his brother no matter what - after all he was the man of the house now._

Cal approached the doors to the cafe and was surprised to look in and see Charles already sat there at a table. He wasn't that difficult to spot, considering Cal hadn't seen him in years. Sure, he looked distinctly older with more grey hairs, yet he was still unmistakably his father.  
Cal walked in and sat at the table, unsure of what to say to this man. He had so many things he wanted to say, so many unanswered questions, yet at the same time he didn't want to utter a word to this man.  
"Caleb! Good to see you" Charles looked up and beamed, putting his hand out for Cal to shake. Cal crossed his arms across his chest.  
"Wish I could say the same" he stated bluntly.

Charles decided it was best to ignore that comment and instead continued to speak, "it's been a long time. Too long. I didn't want to leave in that way Cal. I didn't want to leave you and Ethan, but you had to understand that I didn't have a choice! There was nothing I could do."  
"Well, saying goodbye to your children would've been nice. Maybe you could've even stretched yourself to explain where you were going, to tell us that you wouldn't be coming home. But no, I had to do that, I had to reassure Ethan, tell him what was happening and look after him whilst mum was locked up in her room for days. How does a fifteen year old tell an eleven year old that his dad doesn't want to know us anymore?!" Cal had to stop himself from getting too angry, it wouldn't help him in anyway.  
"Listen son, I know how hard it was for you especially. And if I could go back in time I would change everything. I left in a fit of anger and regret not telling you what was happening so much, if there's anything I could do to make it up to you, I'd do it in an instant." At this, Cal was tempted to say that the best thing he could do was leave and never come back. But, however much he wanted to say it, that wouldn't solve the problem of Ethan's debt, and Cal was desperate.  
And so, Cal sucked up his hatred and instead told his father that there was one thing he could do.  
"I need money.. I owe some people money, and I need it soon." Charles stopped at this statement and thought for a while, before nodding slowly and replying, "money. Yes, money I can do that."  
They sat in silence for a while, with Cal shocked that Charles had so easily agreed to his request, "this man sure is desperate" he thought. Charles took out his phone and scrolled through his immense contacts list before stopping at a name Cal couldn't see. He then took out a receipt from his pocket and wrote an address and phone number on the back before passing it to Cal.  
"This guy will give you whatever you need, just tell him you're my son. Ask no questions, and the money's yours. As long as you pay it back in stages it's fine." He muttered quietly, conscious of the people around him listening into their conversation. Cal took the paper and put it in his pocket.  
"Right. Well thanks. I better get going though" He said standing up and turning to leave.  
"Wait!" Charles stopped him, "you'll keep in touch right?"  
Cal gave a slight nod before walking out of the coffee shop.

That evening, Cal sat on his bed with the crumpled piece of paper in one hand and his phone in the other. In his mind he was weighing up the pros and cons of contacting this person who could apparently 'sort his life out.' On one hand, he really didn't want to be associated with his father and wanted to cut ties with him completely once more. However, on the flip side, this really was his only option when it comes to paying Ethan back.

Eventually he decided to ring this number, and after what felt like an eternity, a man answered the other end.  
"Who's this" A gruff, deep voice said bluntly. Well, Cal thought, he certainly gets to the point.  
"This is Caleb - er, Hardy" He spoke, cringing at having to use his father's surname, "you know my father Charles?" he added on the end after receiving no answer.  
"Ahh! Charlie my man! God we go back years. What can I do for you?" This man, who was still nameless, seemed to be in much better mood judging by the tone of his voice. Although, Cal still didn't feel comfortable talking to him and just wanted to get off the phone as soon as possible.  
"Well, I er need some money.. twelve grand, Charles gave me your number.. said you could help?" Cal said, wondering how this would end. A chuckle could be heard through the phone, despite Cal having said anything notably funny.  
"Charlie charlie charlie. When I said I owed a huge favour, I should've known he'd have used for someone else. Always looking out for others he is" At this, Cal wanted to interrupt and correct this unknown man - his father was in fact one of the most selfish people he had ever met. But, he knew better and let the man continue.  
"But alright, you want twelve grand, I'll get you twelve grand. Like I said, I owe him one. He got me out of a lot of bother in my time. Dunno where I'd be without him. Great man is Charles, great man."  
"Great, thanks for this, how do I go about getting this money?" Cal asked, surprised.  
The man stated a time and a place for Cal and well, he assumed this man, to meet before hanging up, leaving Cal shocked, yet relieved that it had been that easy.

The following day, Cal left Holby City Hospital for his lunch break and headed towards Trinity Street, the place in which Cal would receive this money. He stood waiting for a while, wondering if this was all a big joke and no one would turn up when eventually a man rounded the corner, wearing a dark hoodie, with the hood up despite it being the middle of June.  
He walked up to Cal and stopped before him. "You Charles' mate?" he asked.  
"Yes - well his son" replied Cal, feeling uneasy at this man's presence. Judging by his voice, it wasn't the man who Cal had spoken to on the phone the previous evening.  
Getting a package out of his rucksack, he handed it to Cal, "just so you know, Stevie wouldn't normally do this. It's a one off. A mates deal kind of thing yeah." Cal just nodded in response.  
"Oh, and I've been told to tell you, one of us will be waiting here every Friday, starting in two weeks. We did some research on how much you doctors earn and we expect four hundred a week. Alright?" He wanted to tell this guy that he was wrong, he really doesn't earn as much as he may think, however knew better than to argue and had no choice but to nod and accept the money.  
With that, the money was exchanged and the man stalked off back in the direction he came from. Cal quickly put the money in his bag; the worst thing he could do right now would be lose the money he's tried so desperately to get. Feeling considerably better than before, Cal walked back in the direction of the hospital, happier now he knew he could finally pay back his brother the money he deserved.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

After getting home after a long, tiring and overall draining shift, the two brothers wanted nothing more than to lie on the sofa eating a take away pizza; and so they did just that, too exhausted to cook anything. They sat up, catching up on the newest Game of Thrones episode before Ethan stood up and announced he was going to bed as the credits rolled onto the screen.  
"Wait wait wait, before you go I have something I need to give you" Cal said, looking through his bag for the envelope he had be given earlier that day. "Here. It's yours" he said, handing it over to a confused Ethan.  
Ethan slowly opened it, unsure as to what the contents would be. He pulled out the wad of money, a shocked look clear upon his face.  
"Cal, what's this? There must be thousands here!" Ethan exclaimed, flipping through the fifty pound notes.  
"Twelve thousand, exactly. That's what I owe you isn't it?" Cal said beaming.  
"Well, yes. Yes it is, but how have you managed to get this?" Ethan said, still extremely confused. What did Cal mean that was his! "Oh Cal, you haven't been selling drugs or anything have you?" He suddenly looked concerned,  
"What?! _Drugs?_ Ethan I'm a doctor, I can't believe you'd jump to that conclusion! No, I was looking through my documents the other day and found an old savings account that I had completely forgotten about. That plus I sold a few old things I had knocking around." Cal lied right through his teeth, praying Ethan would accept the lie. Which, for some reason he surprisingly did, or at least seemed to - he was still a bit wary of how Cal had managed to obtain such a large amount of money in so little time.  
"Cal, I really can't accept this money, I thought we agreed that you'd pay me back in installments" Ethan started.  
"Goddammit Ethan! It's your money, I owe you money and now I'm giving it to you. Just take it!" Cal exclaimed, slightly frustrated at Ethan's reaction. This wasn't supposed to happen, he was supposed to be happy, pleased that he had his inheritance back.  
"Okay, okay. Well thank-you very much for this Caleb, I really do appreciate you getting it back to me, as long as you haven't caused any problems for yourself in doing so." Ethan said. Typical Ethan, after everything Cal had done to him, he still looked out for his older brother.  
"No, no. Like I said I had an old savings account. It's yours." Cal replied, heading up the stairs to his room, "night Eth."  
That night, Cal went to sleep, a smile on his face. Things were looking up, he finally paid back his brother, and within eight weeks, he'll be completely free from his debt.

Over the next couple of weeks, Charles had tried to keep in contact with Cal through texts, much to Cal's annoyance. He had hoped that his father would leave him alone, like he did all them years ago, but alas Cal had no choice but to respond to his questions, knowing that without keeping up a 'relationship' with this man, Charles could easily get Stevie to demand his loan back instantly, which Cal couldn't afford to do.  
If he was honest, it wasn't too bad talking to Charles, a few texts a day asking him how he was, it was easy to dissociate the messages from the man who walked out on him, his baby brother and his mother. Yet, just as he was beginning to tolerate this man, his mind instantly transported him back to his childhood, where he remembered why he resented his father so much.

 _It was six months after his father had walked out on his two children without a word and the two boys were beginning to adjust to life with just one parent. Ethan had come home from school, seeming more glum than usual. He hadn't smiled brightly as Cal picked him up from school, and his usual cheery babble on the way home was replaced with short, blunt replies.  
_ " _Okay nibbles, what's up, you haven't been right since you left school" Cal asked, getting slightly worried about his younger sibling.  
_ " _I-i got cast in the school play today" Ethan replied, leaving Cal confused.  
_ " _Wow Eth that's great! Isn't that good news?"  
_ " _Well I really wanted to be the donkey.. and I got the part. And everyone's parents are going to watch it. But-but mummy's always at work and daddy's gone" The younger boy sniffed, a sad look on his face. Cal's heart broke at these words. It was true, their mother was working all the time; as a single parent she struggled to provide for her children and so had no choice but to take on extra overtime to pay the bills._

 _Determined to not let the absence of their parents ruin Ethan's school play, Cal hugged him and made him a promise. "Look, mum might not be able to watch it, but I will. I'll be there front row cheering you on, yeah! I can't wait to watch it." At this, Ethan's face lit up with joy - it was amazing how quickly his mood could change.  
And so, Cal walked out of school three hours early one day, and sat front row. Pride filled him as he watched his little brother walk up and down the stage pretending to be a donkey, grinning from the beginning to end. That was the first time Cal had missed school to play a parent role for his brother, and it certainly wasn't the last. Cal had made a promise to himself - he would do whatever it took to ensure his brother was happy and safe, regardless of whether they had a dad or not. _


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: a few hours earlier today, but I just wanted to upload it and hear what people thought of it. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but I couldn't find any other way to alter it, so all reviews would be much appreciated, and as always I welcome criticism :)**

CHAPTER FOUR:  
Four weeks had gone by since Ethan had received the money from his brother. They were getting on extremely well, considering their rocky past. Four weeks had gone by and they hadn't actually had an argument - which is an achievement for them two. Sure, they had the occasional moment when Ethan would moan about Cal not tidying up, and Cal would complain that Ethan needed to 'loosen up a bit', but all in all they were getting along just fine.

For the last two weeks, Cal had met someone at Trinity Street and handed over exactly four hundred pounds of cash. It had been a different person each week, the first it was someone who looked barely over the age of twenty, and the second week it was a man who looked big enough and strong enough to pick Cal up and throw him off the face of the Earth. It made Cal wonder just how many people this 'Stevie' bloke had working for him, and where he got such a range of friends.

It was just another day at work for Cal, him and Ethan had both been given the early morning shift, starting at 6am, and so far there had been no big trauma cases. The elder registrar was currently dealing with a young patient who had fell over and injured his arm on the way to school that morning when his phone vibrated in his pocket, indicating a call. He ignored it and continued examining the boy, assuming that the caller would just leave a message on the voicemail if it was important. However, the vibrating just continued, the caller must have rang at least three times when Cal excused himself from the patient and his worried mother and left the cubicle heading to the staff room. Along the way, he caught Ethan stood by the Nurses Station and walked over him, pulling his phone out and glancing at the number pasted across his screen - Charles.  
"Ethan, I need to quickly take this call, can you keep an eye on cubicle five for me please" he said, walking off before Ethan had a chance to respond, resulting in an eyeroll.  
Entering the staffroom, Cal pulled out his phone as the fourth call rang through; thankfully there was no one else in the room at the time.  
"I'm at work, what is it?" Cal snapped, annoyed that Charles had persisted calling him after he had ignored it the first time. If Connie caught him taking an impromptu break in the middle of his shift again, he'd be in for it.  
"Cal, there's been a problem. Steve's side business has gone bust. He needs all the money back ASAP" Came Charles rushed voice on the other end.

"What-why-how,what!" Cal had so many questions, in shock at what he had just heard. What did he mean, Steve needed the money back? Did they really expect Cal to be able to cough up a lump sum of money?!

"Listen, come meet me now and I'll explain." Charles stated, not answering any of Cal's questions.

"I can't, like I said I'm working" Cal replied, hanging up, before the worry became clear in his voice. He threw his phone down on the side and leant against it, trying to calm his anger and come up with a logical solution to this problem.

Eventually, Cal reasoned that if he ignored the situation, it would all sort itself out. He'd phone Steve, and explain to him that he didn't have the money up front, and he'd continue paying the loan back in installments. Yes, Cal decided, making a mental note to ring Steve once he had got home.

And with that, he picked up the stethoscope he had pulled off in frustration, and walked out of the staff room focussed on his patients and putting the money situation to the back of his mind.

A mental reminder, it seemed, was not good enough for Cal's memory. After a gruelling eight hour shift, he had been asked to work a few hours overtime due to a great RTC incident, sweeping the emergency department off its feet. Cal and Ethan came home from their shift, both two tired to even think about anything other than going to bed. Ringing Steve was far from Cal's mind as he fell asleep, within moments of his head touching the pillow.

It wasn't until six p.m the next evening when Cal's phone vibrated yet again during his shift. This time however it was a text message. _I need the money by 12:30 tomorrow. Borrow money, sell your belongings, I don't care just get me the money._ It was clearly from Steve. Cal cursed under his breath - this really wasn't what he needed right now. This shift had been a tough one, after losing two young patients, all Cal wanted to do was either go to the pub and get absolutely smashed, or go home. Either way, he didn't want to face Steve.

Just then, Rita burst into the staffroom, making him jump. "Sorry, but you're going to have to cut your break short - an incident is coming in, eta five minutes and Connie wants you on hand as we're not sure of the severity." She said, snapping Cal out of his thoughts. Once again, Cal decided to ignore the messages, deleting them to ensure Ethan didn't accidentally see them of course, and continued with his day, with more important things on his mind.

Two days later, however the text messages and the phone calls were getting more frequent, even to the point where Connie was noticing that his phone seemed to be going off constantly. They were also getting more threatening, violently telling Cal that there " _would be consequences"_ if he failed to repay the money immediately. The messages sent shivers down Cal's spine, sparked a hint of worry deep within him. All day Cal couldn't shake the feeling of worry, it disturbed him slightly; he wasn't one to feel worried or frightened - he entered a limousine that was hanging off a ninety foot high bridge on his first day in the ED for crying out loud! But still, he couldn't stop feeling like something was about to happen, almost like a sense of foreshadowing.

It was a late shift that evening, as Cal messily folded up his scrubs and chucked them in his locker, as he routinely did, and proceeded to walk out of the Emergency Department, glad to be out of the busy hospital and into the fresh, crisp winter air. As he sighed, his breath showed up, grey against the dark midnight sky, instantly transporting him back to a much younger time in his life.

 _After a lot of begging, Cal had finally agreed to walk home with Ethan via the park. It was a much longer walk, and it was the middle of autumn, and if he was honest all he wanted to do was get home and into the warmth. But, Ethan pleaded and pleaded and Cal struggled to say no to his puppy eyes.  
_ " _Look Cal, I'm a dragon! Grrrr" Ethan yelled laughing as he ran ahead, fascinated at the 'steam' coming from his mouth. Cal chuckled to himself, no matter what, this little boy always seemed to cheer him up. Ethan The Dragon circled Cal and launched himself onto his big brother, engulfing him in a hug before running off ahead into the empty play ground._

Caleb was instantly snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps. Caught up in his thoughts, Cal had walked on autopilot, taking the route around the empty, silent park - a route he took almost everyday when walking by himself. He much preferred this walk, peaceful compared to the loud and bright hospital. It gave him the chance to just think, about anything and everything - almost therapeutic.

Used to walking alone, especially at a quarter past midnight, Cal instantly twisted his head round, where he was met with the faces of grown, angry men. Was there five, wait no four, maybe it was six, Cal couldn't remember as they circled round him and a piece of fabric with a distinct chemical scent was pressed against his face. After struggling helplessly for what felt like eternity to no avail, Cal's eyes slowly closed shut.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five:**_

When Cal slowly came round into consciousness, his eyes still closed, the first thing he noticed was the smell. It was damp and dusty, whenever he breathed in his was met with a mouthful of dust. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he tried to muffle it the best he could with his torn sleeve. But it was a hard task, as Cal discovered when he went to move his arm, only to be restricted by a rope, rubbing tight against his wrist. It appeared that his arms were tied, to what felt like a radiator, severely restricting his movement.

When he finally opened his eyes he was greeted with darkness. As his eyes slowly adjusted, he could make out a small yellow light, flickering as if it had been there for years. The light wasn't a lot of use, but Cal could make out a lot of boxes and, well, junk around him - to him it looked like what you'd see in his parents loft. But the faint _drip, drip, drip_ that he could hear, and the water running down the wall suggested to him that he was in a basement or cellar of some sort.

 _Brilliant,_ Cal thought. He has been effectively kidnapped and held hostage for an unknown amount of time. Everything was still hazy after he was smothered in, well what Cal assumed was Chloroform. He tried calling out for someone, maybe if he let them know he was there, they would let him go, as a sort of threat to show him that they meant business and an insight into what could happen if Cal continued to refuse to pay the money. However he was struck short of calling out, when he tried calling out for help all that came out was a weak whisper. Cal wasn't stupid, he knew that this was because of the chemicals, but also a lack of fluids in his system.

 _I thought this stuff only happens on TV_ was Cal's last thought before he dropped back into a state of unconsciousness.

Ethan awoke the next morning and found himself on the sofa. After a minute of disorientation, he finally remembered that he was sat up waiting for Cal to come home after his shift. He stretched out the slight aches in his body, making a mental reminder to never sleep on that sofa again, and stood up. Ethan walked to his brothers rooms and looked in. The bed was still made, well Cal's version of a made bed anyway, and there was no sign that he had been in it all night. Clearly, Cal had gone to the pub or club and gone home with some girl. Typical Cal, he rolled his eyes.

Ethan continued to get ready for his day, not thinking much of Cals disappearance. He only wished he had been told, to save himself sleeping on that uncomfortable brick of a sofa. Today, Ethan had been rota'd in on the morning shift, and Cal was supposed to come in at midday, so Ethan would see his brother then. Perhaps then, Ethan thought, he could ask him where he had been and make sure he understood how annoyed he was at him.

Midday arrived and went and it was soon one o'clock. Ethan saw no sign of Cal, but it was a busy shift and Ethan concluded that their paths just hadn't crossed. It wasn't until their Clinical Lead came up to the young doctor, clearly annoyed.

"Ethan, may I ask about the whereabouts of your brother?" Connie asked, causing Ethan to be a little concerned, had he really not showed up for work? Ethan asked Connie exactly that, only to be met with a sarcastic response.

"If he had, do you really think I'd be asking you?" She said, "No, your useless brother has not turned up, and not thought of even sending a quick message so we could get in a replacement. So, Dr Hardy if you could locate his whereabouts, that would be great." The annoyance in her voice was increasingly obvious, and with that she simply turned and stalked off to attend to another patient.

This is what angered Ethan about Cal. Everyone assumes that, just because they are brothers and he is the more mature one of the two, that he was responsible for Cal. Well no, Cal was his own person and was more than capable of looking after himself.

He tried calling his brother, only to no avail, and so sent a quick, blunt text message. _Where are you? Busy shift. Connie's angry._ He put his phone back into his scrubs pocket and picked up the file next to him. He, unlike _some_ people, actually valued his work and wanted to help people all he could.

Cal groaned as he was forced awake by a blunt hit to his side, and a slap on the face. His eyes slowly focused and he could see a man, with features he vaguely recognised, peering at his face, too close for Cal's liking.

"Alright there?" He said and Cal realised it was one of the men he had met up with when handing over the money. Cal decided not to comment on the fact that he was in fact dehydrated and tied to a radiator, so no he wasn't 'alright'. Instead he decided to just ignored the message, and looked blankly into the man's eyes.

"Right, well. I think you know why you're here. Stevie doesn't make empty threats, I expect you've realised that by now." He spoke again, spit hitting Cal's face, causing him to recoil in disgust.

"Oi, look at me when I'm talking to you" The man, who Cal still didn't know the name of, grabbed his head and forced him to turn and look at him. "Right, well I just came in to make sure you're alright." He said, and thats when Cal noticed the cup of water that was in his hand.

The man chuckled at Cal staring at it, not hiding how badly he needed it. He placed it down about a feet away from Cal, and laughed before promptly leaving the room. The next ten minutes were spent with Cal trying desperately to retrieve the plastic cup. Eventually, he succeeded, and at that moment in time Cal didn't care where it was pure or laced with a poison, he drank it all nevertheless.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter Six!_**

{Sorry this was updated a bit later than usual, but I've been really busy with school etc. But I hope you enjoy nevertheless!}

By the end of his shift, Ethan was beginning to get increasingly worried about his brother's whereabouts. Okay, yes Cal was his own person and didn't need checking on twenty four seven, but usually by now he had at least dropped Ethan a quick text to cover for him. And yet, despite the constant checking on his phone, there was nothing at all. Zilch. Zero. Nada.

When he got home that night and there was still no sign that Caleb had entered their flat. For reassurance purposes, he decided to call the police advice hotline, _just for reassurance_ he told himself. So, he placed his bag down in its designated place and pulled out his phone, dialling 101. After what felt like forever, the dialling tone eventually ceased and the operator answered, sounding rather bored as she repeated the mandatory line - "Hello, this is the non-emergency police line for the Holby area. Can I ask why you're calling please?"

"Uh. Hello." Ethan started, "I'm here to.. report a missing person. My brother, Cal - Caleb Knight."

"Right, do you know when was he last seen, or last got in contact with someone?" The operator on the other end asked, and typing could be heard in the background.

"Well, he didn't come home last night after his shift, and then he didn't turn up for work this morning. I've tried calling him multiple times and he hasn't answered. I originally just assumed he had gone home with someone else after going out - he does that often, but he always turns up for work the next day, or at least comes home the next day. He doesn't tend to stay with the same person for too long you see." Ethan soon sound himself rambling.

When he finally cut himself off from his rambling, he was greeted by silence from the other end. That was until it was eventually broken by, "So.. you're saying he goes home with other people a lot?" She asked, reiterating what Ethan had just told her. Ethan nodded, before realising that he was on the phone and the caller couldn't see him

"Yes. yes that's right. But it's not how it sounds. He always comes home or sends me a message to tell me where he is." Ethan hastily replied, feeling the judgement from the caller through the phone.

"Right. Well I would say he has simply got caught up in whatever it is he is doing. If it's not unusual behaviour, then we can't create a case based on a hunch. I'm sorry - call back again if there are any changes or it's been longer than 72 hours." She responded, promptly hanging up the call before Ethan had a chance to explain.

This was 'unusual behaviour', he thought to himself, angry at the call operator. He just knew that there was something wrong with his brother - call it a sixth sense if you will, he just knew that there was something that wasn't quite right with the situation.

Cal woke up suddenly, it took him a moment to realise where he was, because he definitely wasn't under his warm haven of the duvet in his bed. The first thing he felt was _pain,_ and a lot of it. It was coming from his sides - his ribs if he was able to be more specific - which he wasn't, he was too focused on the pain.

After a few moments of haziness, he soon realised where he was and what was happening. He hesitantly looked up to see a body towering over him, a stern looking man he doesn't recognise.

"P-please .. help me … hospital" Cal spoke, struggling to get the words out, too dizzy and dehydrated to form full sentences.

In any other situation, where his mind was more focused and straight, he wouldn't have asked this man for help. Stereotypical and all, but his grim and emotionless features did not give give off the impression that he would be helping Cal any time soon. But he wasn't thinking clearly, and all he wanted was to be out of this dark, dingy room, and quite frankly he was desperate.

"A little birdy told me that you've been stealing off my mate Stevie." He spoke, ignoring Cal's plea. Cal decided not to answer the statement, he didn't physically possess the strength.

"Oi" _Kick._

"You answer when you're spoken to" _another kick._

"Are you rude as well as a thief?" _kick, kick, kick_

Cal curled up in pain, well as much as he could - restricted by the ropes on his wrists and ankles, trying to shield himself away from the frequent blows to his chest.

The kicks and punches felt like they would never end. No matter how much he pleaded and cried, the man would not let up on the attack. Eventually though, after what felt to Cal like a few hours, but in reality was probably only fifteen minutes, he ceased, bored of inflicting pain for the moment.

Without another word, he just gave one last hit and left, stalking out the room and leaving Cal alone all bloodied and bruised.

Cal hated this. He hated the pain, hated the not knowing what would happen to him, hated the not knowing if anyone will find him, get him out alive. That was obvious. But he also hated how weak he felt against these men. In a usual situation, Cal was strong, able to stick up for himself as well as others. He has been fighting people his whole life, not letting anyone overpower or control him, _well except Connie Beauchamp but that was different - she was his boss,_ so now, not being able to fight back against this abuse was extremely frustrating.


End file.
